The present invention relates in general to a protective covering, and more particularly to a license plate cover for protecting a license plate from rain, slush, salt, debris and other adverse elements found in the highway environment.
When a vehicle is driven or parked outside, the vehicle license plate is exposed to chemical, abrasive and actinic attack from causes such as water; aqueous solutions of harsh chemicals, notably road salt; organics such as road tar; abrasive particulates, typically silicates; macroscopic debris such as pebbles and insects; ozone; and solar and heat radiation, the former of which includes aging ultraviolet radiation. Optimally, the outside surface of a highway vehicle must withstand combinations of these adverse environmental actors, even as the vehicle is moving through the air at 65 mph or greater. The environment near the highway surface can be particularly unforgiving.
Government-issued vehicle identification plates may not be as weather-impervious as the rest of the vehicle, and without protection one often sees license plates which have been sand-blasted, etched, mangled and sun-faded on otherwise presentable vehicles. Further, the fasteners that attach the license plate to the vehicle may rust. As a result, the license plate may become difficult to remove.
License plate covers have been used to protect license plates from these damaging environmental factors. Generally, conventional license plate covers do not have a seal positioned around the rim of the cover to protect the license plate. However, a license plate cover made by Altec includes as a separate component, a circumferential gasket for positioning around the edge of the cover. The Altec license plate cover also includes, as separate pieces, compression-limiting sleeve inserts used in each of the screw holes in order to ensure that the screws do not overcompress the gasket and fracture the frame member. Prior license plate covers also include rubber mounting caps that are used to cover the fasteners that attach the license plate and license plate cover to the vehicle. Prior license plate covers, however, fail to provide an adequate seal that prevents unwanted elements from damaging the license plate or fasteners. As a result, a need exists to provide an improved license plate cover that adequately seals a license plate from various environmental elements.
License plate covers have also been provided with circumferential bands or borders of color to complement the vehicle basic or trim color. Such a border usually has been painted on the external side of the license plate cover, where it is subject to gradual removal by abrasion.
According to one aspect of the invention, a license plate cover is provided in various colors. The license plate cover frame is transparent and has an inner side with a channel. A colored elastomeric gasket is injection molded into the channel. As a result, a consumer-selectable band of color is perfectly transmitted through the transparent cover visible from the front, but is not easily attacked by the elements itself, and therefore persists in like-new condition. The separate step and material cost of painting a color band on the cover is avoided.
According to another aspect of the invention, a license plate cover is provided with a decorative insert. The license plate cover frame includes a periphery and an inner side for disposal adjacent to a license plate. The frame is transparent or translucent at least in a region near the periphery. The inner side includes an elongate annular channel near the periphery of the frame. The decorative insert is disposed adjacent the flat bottom of the channel. An elastomeric gasket is disposed on top of the insert in the channel, completing the encapsulation of the insert.